In the Kerala actor abduction and sexual assault case, the survivor has moved the Kerala High Court, seeking transfer of the trial proceedings out of the Additional Sessions (CBI special No III) Court in Ernakulam, as per a report by The News Minute.
The survivor has alleged that the Additional Sessions Court is 'biased' and has a 'hostile attitude'. The case pertains to the abduction and sexual assault of an actor in February 2017. Actor Dileep is alleged to have masterminded the crime.
As per the report in The News Minute, the survivor has claimed in her petition that during the proceedings the court had shown 'hostile' behaviour. The petition also states that the court sat as a ‘mute spectator’ when the survivor actor was ‘harassed’ by Dileep’s advocate during the defense counsel’s examination.
Notably, the trial proceedings of the court started in the court of Justice Honey M Varghese on the request of the survivor actor. She wanted the case to be heard by a woman judge.
In another allegation, the plea states that the court handed over controversial visuals of the assault from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory to Dileep's counsel without informing the prosecution counsel. The survivor stated in her petition that this incident took place in a day when there were no proceedings. Dileep, an accused in the case, had sent these visuals to CFSL in Chandigarh to verify its 'authenticity' earlier this year, reported The News Minute.
The petition further says the court did not record ‘certain portions’ of the testimony given by the survivor actor and did not give any lawful justification for the same. The survivor actor has alleged this was done ‘deliberately.’
The plea, filed in the High Court, adds that the trial court had allegedly made derogatory statements and even read out an anonymous letter in the presence of witnesses, defence counsels and other prosecution team. The plea continues that another woman actor, a witness in the case, was also harassed by the court during examination, citing her Facebook post.
The News Minute has learnt that the prosecution had filed a petition in September asking for Dileep's bail to be cancelled. In the petition it was alleged that Dileep tried to influence four witnesses.
(With inputs from The News Minute)
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